1999 V70 Ridiculously Rounded Drain Plug Advice

[erikv11]

Do you guys ever know of someone actually tapping a new drain plug hole? It sounds OK offhand but may be a whole new set of little hassles.

I like the vacuum method, that's a really good idea in this case. Move on, never worry about the stupid plug again.

[dosbricks]

deepsouth, hope you are not counting on a Harbor Freight pipe wrench. No HF pipe wrench teeth can compare to made-in-the-USA Chanellock parrot jaw.

Siphon-smiphon, I wouldn't be defeated by this thing until it was heated and smacked on a tangent with a chisel. It looks like there is a crush ring under the plug, so a whole lot of chisel hits could happen and still not damage the seat.

Now you have heard enough options from the peanut gallery that you are surely bound to secure victory via one of them and reward us all in the glow of your triumph. All we need is for Matt to start making book on the odds for the different methods suggested.

[JDS60R]

Do you guys ever know of someone actually tapping a new drain plug hole? It sounds OK offhand but may be a whole new set of little hassles.

I like the vacuum method, that's a really good idea in this case. Move on, never worry about the stupid plug again.

I've put in time- serts and even welded/brazed up cracked pans. No problems with them at all

[timmybdaddyof3]

if you decide to go the replace the pan route, its actually not that bad....
1. use jack stands (you see why in a min)
2. remove the oil filter
3. with the drain pan still underneath drill STRAIGHT into the SIDE of the oil pan ( you can also use a punch) where the oil filter formerly was.
4. with the pan still underneath lower the right side (and ONLY the right side) of the car and allow as much oil as possible to drian.
5. jack the right side back up and shove a paper towel, shop rag into the hole you made
6. pull the pan starting with the drivers side.

Remember, you now have options and are going to replace the plug and possibly the pan anyway....take out your frustration and make an example of it so that the rest of the car knows you mean business....right now every other bolt on the car is laughing at you

[abscate]

I'm in for 1000 Vietnam Dong on the chisel method. I reserve the right to use mod privileges to alter my bet after the fact in a trackless edit, though,

Kudos to dosbricks for pointing out this is time for a GOOD tool. It's 90 bucks an hour in a shop, a good tool saving you one hour of labor will pay for it self, and double as an urban equalizer.

[erikv11]

Do you guys ever know of someone actually tapping a new drain plug hole? It sounds OK offhand but may be a whole new set of little hassles.

I like the vacuum method, that's a really good idea in this case. Move on, never worry about the stupid plug again.

I've put in time- serts and even welded/brazed up cracked pans. No problems with them at all

Sure, but we're not talking about thread repair, the suggestion was to drill a new hole and tap it out etc. Great of you know that is fairly easy on a pan mounted on the car. In the home garage.

[timmybdaddyof3]

I have done it on many cars, on pans full of oil...and i don't recommend it
welding, brazing, and re-threading i can accept.

1. generally there is extra pan material where the original plug was...relocating will not give you as much thread bite
2. because there is less material you need the plug in the side...if its put underneath, when dragged over a curb, speed-bump, etc you will get a first hand look at how metal tears.
3. with the plug in the side you will never be able to completely drain the oil
4. you will end up with metal shavings in the oil...as stated above you cant get all the oil out, and so... You could use a magnetic drain plug etc, but the idea of metal scrap moving through my oil...lets just not talk about this one.

The only time I have done it on a personal vehicle was when my mother found herself in a situation stranded at a jiffy lube...a new pan was ordered right away. All other times have been for clients, and they were forced to sign a very long disclaimer saying that WHEN in fails, or if the engine gets destroyed by little metal parts scoring the cylinder walls, oil starvation ect. they can use the $50 they saved to replace the motor

[oragex]

Get a vice grips and tighten them as much as you can on the bolt. Like, it's really hard to close the vice grip handle. Then use a long bar on a solid suspension part and lever-push on the vice grip handle.

[erikv11]

I have done it on many cars, on pans full of oil...and i don't recommend it
welding, brazing, and re-threading i can accept.

1. generally there is extra pan material where the original plug was...relocating will not give you as much thread bite
2. because there is less material you need the plug in the side...if its put underneath, when dragged over a curb, speed-bump, etc you will get a first hand look at how metal tears.
3. with the plug in the side you will never be able to completely drain the oil
4. you will end up with metal shavings in the oil...as stated above you cant get all the oil out, and so... You could use a magnetic drain plug etc, but the idea of metal scrap moving through my oil...lets just not talk about this one.

The only time I have done it on a personal vehicle was when my mother found herself in a situation stranded at a jiffy lube...a new pan was ordered right away. All other times have been for clients, and they were forced to sign a very long disclaimer saying that WHEN it fails, or if the engine gets destroyed by little metal parts scoring the cylinder walls, oil starvation etc. they can use the $50 they saved to replace the motor

Yeah, this is the kind of thing I suspected. Great to have this input from someone who has done it, thanks for posting.

[timmybdaddyof3]

Having a small auto shop of you learn all sorts of right, wrong, and expensive consequences....
and rule number one is 99% of the time you can learn more in forums that you can in a FSM